Oz Report

Tin Cup

(This topic is in: <-- Apr.18 Apr.17 Apr.16 Apr.15 Apr.14 Apr.11 Apr.10 --> )

Is it span? (Cathedral City, CA, USA)

We hear from Brett Hazlett over at the Oz Report forum and take a look at how what he says applies across the board.  Another Moyes pilot, the World Champion, chimes in also.

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Discuss Tin Cup at the Oz Report forum   link»

The World Champion on glider performance

Attila says that the Litespeed has a better glide ratio at high speed (Moyes factory in Botany, Australia)

Attila Bertok <attila.bertok> writes:

Your analysis on prices is not complete.  For example, the resale value of the glider is not emphasized, but it is important.  Some gliders might be cheaper and people quickly realize that there is a good reason for that.  Usually this time comes when they try to get rid of the bird and people avoiding it like a plague.  I often hear the price-based decision argument.  I guess the guys going for the cheapest gliders all drive a LADA (cheap Russian car), because that is the best price conscious decision.

I think we need to look at what we are actually paying for.  Buying a high performance glider usually has three reasons, such as kicking everybody's butt on competitions, having a real potent cross country machine or showing off to one's buddies.

You mentioned that the differences are minor, and it is hard to see whether it was the pilot or the glider.  I would disagree.  Recently, as we frequently fly faster then 80 km/h, we see the others just falling away.  And we do that a lot recently.  It is pretty objective, I don't think the others would deny it.  The other, non-Moyes guys usually say that it was a lucky glide, etc.  But every glide?  Every final glide?  I think we have an "objectively" better glider.

Some companies are trying to fix their performance deficit using a few twists in their marketing by saying that they have the ultimate cross country machine (meaning: they don't perform well on comps, but it's ok for weekend warriors).  Some companies don't do any R and D, just copy.  In this case their prices are always going to be unbeatable, because there is nothing to recover for the non-existent R and D activity.

Why we buy a certain glider is also interesting.  People tend to be emotional about the manufacturer when they making their choice.  Loyalty, etc.  Usually they citing that a certain manufacturer really look after them.  As far as Moyes goes, it is hard to beat us in this respect.  I was in the US a few months ago and I've heard from more than one pilot that our dealer, Kraig Coomber gives better service than another local US manufacturer down the road!  And he is not the only one.  There are people who want special attention sometimes irrespective to their performance and they are really disappointed when they are not getting it.  So they look for a peer group, when they are knowingly disadvantaged, but now at least they belong.  Of course, it is the other manufacturer's fault who didn't give them a special deal before by not seeing the "gift" in them.

Now about the research and development.  I've read Steve Pearson's article, and I must mention that I always thought about WW as one of the innovators of our sport.  This is not always a good thing, as the RamAir affair clearly shows this.  Anyway, they can be proud of themselves, so we are.

There are many ideas we also had, but many of them are not in our gliders.  Lever VG, etc.

In general, most manufacturers have made a certain contribution to the health and safety of the hang gliding industry, but there are companies just shamelessly copying the good ideas, or just simply waiting to see if a risky idea work out or not.  This is not fair, but since there is no real money to enforce intellectual property issues it will be the same, or we just make the lawyers richer.  I couldn't mention any patents relating to hang gliding, apart from the original Rogallo wing.  The other comment I hear often is that today's high performance gliders are "almost" the same.  Well, believe me, fine tuning something already good, and do that repeatedly is an art.  And it is not simple.

Last, but not least, if you don't know why something is good or bad, then you really don't know anything.  The number of people actually knowing and doing things properly in our sport are only a few.  Maybe 3 or 4 for guys all up.  We are lucky at Moyes in this respect, but without these people our sport wouldn't develop.  Copying obviously not enough.  It is like competitions.  If you always just follow, you always will be maximum 100%, but not better.

Ah, our glider can also fly to the horizon!  1:15 equals 3.8 degrees, that is (almost) horizontal!

Discuss Attila Bertok at the Oz Report forum   link»

The Russell Brown's Dragonflies from Quest are at the Francisco Grande

Russell has dropped off the Dragonflies in anticipation of the Santa Cruz Flats Race (Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona)

Russell Brown has brought the extra Dragonflies that normally hang out at Quest Air to the Francisco Grande hotel in Casa Grande Arizona in anticipation of the Santa Cruz Flats Race which begins this coming weekend.  Russell brought a couple of tugs out last year also.  Lori sends this picture:

I am really looking forward to this meet.  Jonny Durand is in Los Angeles awaiting the arrival of his gliders and will head out to Arizona soon.  Rob Kells and Trish will arrive there on Thursday evening.  Belinda and I will head out from here on Thursday morning hoping to stay in an RV Park just down the road from the Francisco Grande.

Discuss Tugs at the Oz Report forum   link»

Quest Air East

Great flying this spring (Quest Air, Groveland, Florida, USA)

steve bellerby <sbellerby> writes:

Whether you're a hillbilly rigid pilot, a top ranked flexie flyer or one of the poke-a-long bottom feeders that learns from them, you've had nothing to complain about at Quest Air, this spring.

Dustin Martin helps a slowpoke to goal, at Quest.

Triangles, out and returns, and perhaps twenty pilot flights into the Wills Wing Demo Days at Wallaby Ranch added to the fun of seeing foreign pilots and seriously experienced Sandia ones, signed off on aerotow.

Most impressive was Dusty's flight back from a fly-in lunch at Wallaby.  Launching at almost 6 p.m.  after a rain of plummeting pilots confirmed that the sea breeze had kicked in, he arrived back at Quest after one thermal at 6:29 for his scheduled 6:30 tandem!

Dustin Martin's still here and is planning to return after his Santa Cruz Flats Race, the landowner has given Quest at least another season, and there are even (unconfirmed, but not incredible) rumors circulating of another Flytec Competition here next spring.

Nicole, the office manager, is a serious cyclist so don't be daunted if you don't get through on the first try.  She's probably tearing up the trails somewhere south of here so try an email or call back.

Nicole?  The driver?  Wow!  I'll be out there soon with Dusty.  Hopefully the knee will be in good enough shape for some real riding.

Discuss Quest at the Oz Report forum   link»